I decided to ask a question on twitter (and then included Facebook too) to both Qataris and Expats. My question to my fellow Qataris was “Do you know the full Qatar National Anthem?”. You had to know it all, 100%. The results were that around 87% of Qataris knew the full national anthem.

I then asked the expat community on iLoveQatar “Do you know what the Qatar National Anthem sounds like?”. I decided that simply humming a few bars was good enough (to make it simpler).

Out of around 150 responses, 51% of people said they did know it and 49% said they either weren’t sure or had no clue. I thought it was funny that quite a few people thought that the news jingle that’s played on QBS was the National Anthem.

So, for those people who are in Qatar, here’s the National Anthem so you’re familiar with it

Rough translation:

Swearing by God who erected the sky Swearing by God who spread the light Qatar will always be free Sublimed by the souls of the sinceres Procede on the manners of the ascendants And advance on Prophet’s guidance In my heart,

Qatar is an epic of glory and dignity Qatar is land of the early men Who protect us at time of distress, Doves they can be at times of peace, Warriors they are at times of sacrifice

Freedom of Expression

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which the Qatari Government is a signatory of states:
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any medias and regardless of any frontiers.

The Emiri Decision Number 86 of the year 2007 on the establishment of the Doha Free Information Centre marked yet another step towards establishing a State of rights and freedom of speech. The decision stipulated that the Centre be a non-profit organization, headquartered in Doha City, and have the authority to establish other affiliated centres inside and outside Qatar. It is worth mentioning that His Highness the Emir issued a decision in 1998 annulling the ministry of information, giving birth to a new era of freedom of speech where censorship was removed from local media.